Telus won't unlock my iPhone because it isn't in their database?

**wally2000** · 06-09-2012, 01:42 AM

I called in today to unlock my iPhone 3GS. The rep tried very hard for 40 minutes but gave up saying that my imei doesn't match anything in their database. She didn't know what to do except tell me to go to a telus store to see if they could do something, but I am doubtful of that.

It's probably because i had my iPhone replaced on warranty about 2 years ago at an apple store. Does anyone know what to do?

**turbogeek** · 06-09-2012, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by wally2000

I called in today to unlock my iPhone 3GS. The rep tried very hard for 40 minutes but gave up saying that my imei doesn't match anything in their database. She didn't know what to do except tell me to go to a telus store to see if they could do something, but I am doubtful of that.

It's probably because i had my iPhone replaced on warranty about 2 years ago at an apple store. Does anyone know what to do?

Do you have any documentation for that Apple replacement? You might have to provide a copy to the relevant department. Depending on how strict policies are Apple may even have to on your behalf, to prove authenticity.

**B407** · 06-09-2012, 02:51 AM

Originally Posted by turbogeek

Do you have any documentation for that Apple replacement? You might have to provide a copy to the relevant department. Depending on how strict policies are Apple may even have to on your behalf, to prove authenticity.

Apple would have no problem providing that documentation. Problem is whether Telus will accept it. I know rogers customers are SOL when they try to get their apple store warranty replacements unlocked. Would not be surprised if telus does the same thing.

**turbogeek** · 06-09-2012, 01:23 PM

No, Telus is supposed to have a contingency for replacement phones, it's explained in the bulletin. I'm just not sure if all the kinks have been worked out for swap transactions prior to the unlocking policy.

**wally2000** · 06-09-2012, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by turbogeek

No, Telus is supposed to have a contingency for replacement phones, it's explained in the bulletin. I'm just not sure if all the kinks have been worked out for swap transactions prior to the unlocking policy.

Do you have any details on this contingency? I've been run around by Telus and Apple all morning and nobody has a clue what to do.

**turbogeek** · 06-09-2012, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by wally2000

Do you have any details on this contingency? I've been run around by Telus and Apple all morning and nobody has a clue what to do.

It's what I said before, if you unlock then have a replacement issued you provide proof of unlock purchase & proof of the swap and they will unlock the replacement. Your situ is the reverse, and they still have to iron out some of the details.

If you can get the Telus CSR to pull their head out and verify with Apple that your IMEI is the replacement issued for your original Telus iPhone IMEI, I can't fathom how they would continue to refuse.

**wally2000** · 06-09-2012, 05:27 PM

Thanks for the info. They insist that it's technically impossible for them to add my IMEI to their database, and therefore they can't unlock it. One DNA rep tried to tell me that due to the swap it is technically not a Telus phone and therefore it is Apple's responsibility to unlock, and it seems clear that Apple won't do that.

What have I got left? Should I try again in a few weeks once they've had to deal with the hordes of iPhone owners like me who have at some point had to swap their iPhone yet still want to factory unlock their phone?

**turbogeek** · 06-09-2012, 06:28 PM

I'd give them a few weeks to get up to speed on all aspects. I guess it's conceivable that the recent RT system upgrades and changes that allow them to unlock at all involve Apple injecting new replacement IMEIs directly into Telus's system going forward, but I think that's a remote possibility. In the extreme likelihood that isn't the case, they will have provisions to enter new swaps into their database - thus they will also have provisions to enter old swaps into their database.

In the event that still fails, I'd flip it and put the pressure on Apple - go to an Apple store if possible, and have them call Telus on your behalf to establish that you meet the criteria, and are prepared to pay the unlock fee. To me this is something that should have been resolvable with a single conference call or Apple store visit.

**swcan** · 06-10-2012, 12:29 AM

I had Telus unlock an iPhone 4 and a 4s this past week. Both were Apple replacements and there was no issue with either. The whole process took less than 10 minutes for both of them to be unlocked over the phone. Being that my account is a small business account may have helped since I get routed to a different department when I call *611.

**B407** · 06-10-2012, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by turbogeek

I'd give them a few weeks to get up to speed on all aspects. I guess it's conceivable that the recent RT system upgrades and changes that allow them to unlock at all involve Apple injecting new replacement IMEIs directly into Telus's system going forward, but I think that's a remote possibility. In the extreme likelihood that isn't the case, they will have provisions to enter new swaps into their database - thus they will also have provisions to enter old swaps into their database.

In the event that still fails, I'd flip it and put the pressure on Apple - go to an Apple store if possible, and have them call Telus on your behalf to establish that you meet the criteria, and are prepared to pay the unlock fee. To me this is something that should have been resolvable with a single conference call or Apple store visit.

The reps that the OP are speaking to are indicating that they cannot unlock Apple replacement devices. The Apple store employees would only be able to get ahold of a Telus CSR and would likely run into the same issues. Apple stores do not have head office contacts or contacts for anyone else in power at Telus.

**WorldIRC** · 06-10-2012, 09:47 AM

Genius Bar / Apple Care should be empowered with access to add devices to the white list on an exception / manager approval basis; such as situations like this. They should allow Genius Bar / Apple Care reps to also have access to the whitelist DB to verify that a carrier-locked device was indeed unlocked.

**turbogeek** · 06-10-2012, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by B407

The reps that the OP are speaking to are indicating that they cannot unlock Apple replacement devices. The Apple store employees would only be able to get ahold of a Telus CSR and would likely run into the same issues. Apple stores do not have head office contacts or contacts for anyone else in power at Telus.

Telus has stated they are able to unlock Apple replacements if the original was unlocked first. It is possible there are system constraints that prevent them from initiating an unlock after a swap has been performed (though I think unlikely). I suggested going to Apple if the Telus route fails because Apple has full access to their own iTunes activation database. If they can be shown that the Carrier a device is locked-to is authorizing the unlock, they should have access to a department able to do it.

**wally2000** · 06-10-2012, 11:40 AM

The saga continues... it sounds like the idea that my problem was due to a warranty replacement was based on a wrong assumption by the first CSR I talked to, and snowballed from there.

After talking to about 5 CSRs, visiting the Apple store, and calling Applecare with no success, Telus finally put me through to a guy in loyalty who could only cheerfully tell me this is no problem because hey, you can just go to one of these jailbreak services and get it done for cheaper! I told him that's not an option so he finally put me through to someone in the DNA department (I guess these are the more advanced guys?). She didn't know anything more than anyone else, but she told me to go to the Apple store and get someone there to call DNA to try to work something out. So I went back to the Apple store, got a genius to agree to allow me to call Telus. I got on the line with another DNA rep who thought this was all nonsense and asked for my IMEI number one more time. He entered it in, my phone showed up, and he said he unlocked it successfully. His theory was that the previous reps had been entering the wrong IMEI somehow. I thanked him and never had to hand the phone to the Apple genius.

The problem is, it doesn't seem like it worked. I restored through iTunes, never got the congratualations message, and I tried a Rogers sim and it didn't work. (Although I don't get a message saying "SIM is locked"; it just doesn't do anything.) I'm starting to think this just isn't meant to be.

**Que_Ball** · 06-10-2012, 12:26 PM

As I understand things:

Situation 1. Original phone sold by Telus currently is locked.
The IMEI is in the Telus inventory database and the unlocking request should go through without any problems.

Situation 2. Original phone sold by Telus was unlocked by Telus and needs warranty replacement.
The IMEI has been added to the Apple unlocked device database by Telus. When you go to an apple store the system that Apple uses to process the warranty replacement will verify the old phone was unlocked and it will replace the IMEI in the master itunes activation database with the new phone so it will also be unlocked when you swap it. No call to Telus to get the new replacement phone unlocked will be required.

Situation 3. Original phone sold by Telus was still locked and a warranty replacement has been issued by Apple.
Apple has recorded that the old IMEI was replaced but this info has not been updated in the Telus inventory system so the phone is foreign to them. Telus has implemented some security restraints on doing the unlock to prevent phones from other carriers from being unlocked using their privileged connection to the Apple itunes database. Apple wants the carriers to validate that they are only unlocking phones they have sold. In the past employees at phone companies who have access to the unlocking have been selling their services on places like ebay for large premiums to unlock phones that they should not be allowed to unlock but because the raw access to the database can allow any iphone imei to be added Apple requests that the carriers put strict access controls in place before they get access to the database. So Telus needs to figure out a way to validate these requests are valid warranty replacements. Someone somewhere at Telus likely has the ability to either add the serial number into inventory or simply process the unlocking directly to the apple database but the procedure for this isn't yet clear.

Edit: Sorry for the poor grammar, I'm feeling lazy today.

**Piaax3** · 06-10-2012, 12:59 PM

I would like to chime in with some information.

I have been a long time Rogers user 15+ years. About 8 year ago, did a TOR from my personal BAN to corporate BAN. (meaning the company i work for paid for my cell service).

Being the corporate administrator for the cell phones, i had to deal with all cell phone issues including getting iphone unlocked. I had unlocked at least 5.

One of the iphones were replaced by Apple several months after purchase. I had called up Rogers to inform them of the IMEI number. They accepted the IMEI number.

After about a year, the line was early HUP'd. (paid early fee to upgrade). I called Rogers to unlock old iPhone. They put me on hold to call Apple (not sure if its a store or if it's a hotline or whatnot) to verify the warranty replacement. They confirmed the IMEI replacement and they unlocked the replacement iPhone. This is an iPhone4.

I believe this will be Telus's procedures also once they implement this policy. They will run into lots of these issues of warranty replacements.